Blind-slat adjuster.



E. W. F. HERRMANN.

BLIND SLAT ADJUSTER.

I APPLIOAITIQNII'ILED Npv. 12, 1908.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS ERNST W. F. HERRMANN,

OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

BLIND-SLAT ADJUSTER.

No. 929,428. Specification of Application filed. November 12, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, ERNST F. Henn- MANN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Blind-Slat Adjuster, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to blind slat adjusters for holding the slats of blinds against casual movement or rattling, and relates more particularly to a device of this class consisting of a flexible, resiliently extensible member having means for attaching the ends removably to a shutter controlling bar, so that the member can encompass a, shutter slat, engaging at the edge of the latter remote from the shutter bar to hold the slat and the bar in any one of a plurality of relative positions. Preferably, the member has at the ends adjustable hooks each adapted removably to engage a slat-controlling staple of the bar.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and compact attachment for shutters, window blinds and the like having relatively movable slats, by means of which the slats can be held in any one of a. plurality of positions, and by means of which all casual movement or rattling of the slats due to wind or other causes, can be eliminated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this class which can be easily and quickly attached and detached to and from the shutter, and which is adjustable so that it can be used with shutters having slats of different sizes.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specificati on, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which--- I Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a shutter showing an embodiment of my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of an embodiment of the device showing the same detached from the shutter; and Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modified form.

Before proceeding to a more detailed planation of my invention, it should be clearly understood that while the same is Letters Patent. Patented July 27, 1909.

Serial No. 462,254.

particularly useful in connection with window shutters of the ordinary type, it can also be advantageously applied to similar devices including relatively adjustable slats controlled by a common bar or rod.

The attachment includes an elongated extensible member which is preferably resilient, and which may consist for example, of a coiled spring, an elastic band or any other suitable material adapted for the purpose.

I do not limit myself to the details of construction shown for example herewith, as these details may be varied in accordance with individual preference and special conlying spirit of my invention. For example, I show hooks by means of which the ends of the flexible member can be engaged at staples of the controlling bar. Any other means for attaching the ends of the member to the bar and adapted for the purpose can be employed.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2, I provide an elongated flexible and resiliently extensible member 10, consisting of a coiled spring. At each end this member has a substantially U-shaped clip 11, the ends 12 of which are inwardly disposed to form fingers adapted to engage between adjacent coils of the sprin At the end remote from the fingers, the clips have offset parts 13. I employ preferably flat hooks 14-, stamped from metal or other suitable material and each having a bifurcation 15 presenting a cross bar 16, forming an eye by means of which the hooks can'be loosely mounted at the clips 11, the cross bar 16 engaging in the offset parts 13 of the clips.

As the helical spring is in substance a screw, the clips can be screwed on to the ends of the spring, the fingers 12 engaging between the coils. In this way too, the effective length of the extensible member can be adjusted.

When my device is in use, each of the hooks 14 is brought into engagement with a staple B of the controlling bar A of the shutter. The staples B engaged by the hooks are not adjacent but are spaced by an intermediate staple. The extensible member encompasses the slats C between the staples B in engagement with the hooks and extends around the edge of the slat remote from the bar. The member is stretched ditions, without departing from the under when in this position and this forces the slat and the bar toward each other to hold them in their relative positions and to secure the slats against casual movement or rattling. To remove the attachment it is merely neces sary to disengage the hooks from the staples B. The latter loosely receive similar staples D carried by the slats in the customary manner.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modified form of the device, in which the helical spring 17 has the ends formed into eyes 18, each of which loosely receives an eye 20 of a hook 19 fashioned from bent wire or other suitable material.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination, with a shutter having slats and a bar controlling same, of an ex tensible, elastic member having means at the ends for engaging said shutter bar, and adapted to engage one of said shutter slats at the edge thereof remote from the bar and intermediate the ends of said member.

2. The combination, with a shutter having slats and a bar controlling the same, of a flexible, resilient and extensible member having at each end a hook adapted to be removably engaged at said shutter bar, said member being adapted to extend around one of said slats and intermediate its ends, and to engage adj ustably at the edge of said slat remote from the said bar.

3. A device of the class described, comprising a helical spring, clips at the ends of said spring and each having inwardly disposed fingers removably engaging between adjacent coils of said spring, and hooks hav ing eyes movably receiving said clips, said hooks being adapted to engage shutter bar staples, whereby said spring can encompass a shutter slat between the hoolcengaged staples.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNST W. F. HERRMANN.

Witnesses:

RAYMOND F. NEUMANN, GEORGE P. DAVIS. 

